Andric Rakic on the discussion at the US Embassy: Institutions' representatives said they did not understand the need for the CSM establishment

Milica Andric Rakic from the NGO New Social Initiative said after the discussion about the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities at the US Embassy in Pristina that the Kosovo institutions' representatives said at the meeting that they did not understand the need for establishing the CSM and that Martti Ahtisaari's plan met the community's needs, Reporteri reports.

Andric Rakic told journalists after the discussion that there were many discussions about how the CSM would be implemented and what powers it would have.

"We talked about how the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities could function within the legal framework of Kosovo in accordance with the Brussels Agreement. There were different opinions, and the debate was civilized, which is the most important thing. The representatives of the institutions had their position, which is now public, that they still did not understand the need for establishing the CSM and that Ahtisaari's plan corresponded to the needs of the community. There were many discussions about how the Community would be implemented, what kind of powers it would have, the legal framework, and more," Andric Rakic said.

Among civil society and representatives of some other independent institutions, there were some more constructive opinions, as Andric Rakic said for N1.

"There were those who started their presentation with 'The decision of the Constitutional Court means that the CSM is an international obligation that must be implemented,'" she noted.

"In the Serbian community, a common message could be heard that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities must be formed if they want the integration of Serbian institutions into the Kosovo system; it was emphasized how important they were for the Serbs' life, that their closure could lead to mass emigration. It was more or less everyone's message," Andric Rakic pointed out.

As she stated, at the meeting, some mentioned specific problems with the import of books or medicines, as well as that there was a kind of consensus for the representatives of the Serbian community that it was necessary to form it.

"The majority believes that this is Kosovo's international obligation and that it means that the Constitution must be coordinated according to the CSM. They don't think it's a problem because Serbia will also have to change the Constitution, since until now, it has implemented everything on the muscles of one party, but it has not been formalized yet. If Serbia changes the Constitution, then Kosovo must do the same. That is the impression as far as the Serbs are concerned," Andric Rakic explained.

The Ambassador of the United States of America in Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, stated after today's discussion on the CSM that the US would continue to advocate for the implementation of all dialogue obligations. He thanked everyone who participated in today's meeting on the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and shared their views on the issue.